Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-09-22


on territory extending to the "South
Sea-" Captain John Smith, the Father
of Virginia, had at one time had been
commissioned to sail up the Chickaho-
miny and find passage TO China. This
serves to show the prevalent ignorance
of the early settlers of the country i'm
the matter of geographical knowledge.
1t is small wonder that there should be
conflicting claims to the soil. Several
States set up claims more or less def
mite to the territory of the Northwest.
First-By Royal Charter of 1862, con-
firming council charter of 1880, Con-
necticut claimed q strip of land bound
ed on the east by the Narraganset river
north by Massachusetts,, south by Long
Island Sound, and extending westward
to the mythical "South Sea-"
Second-New York, by her charter
of 1914, claimed u territory lying across
the boundaries of the Connecticut
charter.
Thirdly theg grant of VIM. Penn in
1864, Pennsylvania claimed territory
overlapping part of the territories of
these colonies. ..
Fourth-The charter of Massachusetts
also cOnfiicted with some of the claims
above mentioned.
Fifth--Virginia claimed the whole of
the Northwestern Territory by right of
conquest, and in 1873, by an act of her
Legislature, annexed it as a county.
Sixth-Several grants had been made
of special tracts to incorporated COM
panies by the different States. And
finally the whole territory of the
Northwest was claimed by the Indians
as their own.
The claims ofNew York, Massachu-
sets, and part of the claim of Pennsyl-
vania had been settled before the
Revolution by the Royal Commits
sioners; but the others were still unad-
justed. Soon after the close of the
Revolution, Congress urged the several
States to make cession oflands claim
ed and thus enable the General Gov
ernment to open the Northwest for
settlement.
On the 1st of March, 1854, Thomas
Jefferson, Samuel Hardy, Arthur Lee
and James Monroe, delegates in Con-
gress, executed deed of cession in the
name of Virginia, transferring to the
United States the right and title of
Virginia to the Northwest Territory,
excepting one hundred and fifty thous-
and acres of land which Virginia had
promised to Major George Rogers
Clarke, "the conqueror of the North
west" and to the officers and soldiers
who had with him captured the British
posts in the West; also, another tract
between the Scioto and the Little
Miami, reserved to enable Virginia to
pay promised bounties to her officers
and soldiers in the Revolutionary war.
On October 9th, 1884, a treaty was
made with the Indians of the Six
Nations for their claims to the North
west Territory, with certain reserva-
tions. .-'-.a
Thus were the claims of the contend
ing parties for the possession of the
then "Great West" finally adjusted to
the satisfaction of all; thus were laid
the foundations of what became the
State of Ohio-now the keystone of
the Requblic-then called the North
western Territory.
GEORGE ROGERS CLARKE.
Next to George Washington in point
of military powers and daring, personal
achievement and in material interest in
the advancement and settlement of the
State, stands Major George Rogers
Clarke, who is to Ohio what Daniel
Boone was to Kentucky, and who was
in fact the Father of Ohio as well as the
founder of Kentucky. He was born in
Albemarle county, Virginia, in 1852,
and first appears as a land surveyor in
the Ohio region in 1772. Beginning
life in the same manner as George
Washington, he accompanied some
emigrants to Kentucky in 1775 and de-
termined to make the new country his
home. During the War for Indepen-
dence he labored to secure the vast
region of the West and Northwest as a
home for the free. He saw that the
pioneers west of the Alleghenies were
threatened by two great dangers: The
Indians who Joined the British; and,
second, by the success of the war itself.
For, if the colonies should gain their
independence while the British still
held possession of the Mississippi VAL
ley, then the Alleghenies would
inevitably be the western boundary of
the Republic and the pioneers of the
Northwest Territory would have to
remain tributary to Great Britain. He
made two trips to Virginia, but failed
to convert the House of Burgesses to
his views, so he appealed to the Gov
SIHOI, dUllCh 11Shlyj WIN gave Lllill
authority to enlist seven companies to
go to Kentucky and serve for three
months under his command. This was
a public commission; but he was given
o secret commission, dated at Williams
burgh, Virginia, to capture the British
military posts in the Northwest. He
then proceeded to Pittsburg, obtained
ammunition, foated it down the river
to Kentucky, enlisted seven companies
ofpioneers and in June, 1878, commence
ed his march through the untrodden
wilderness to Illinois. He captured
the garrisons at Kaskaskia, Vincent
and Cahokia, and sent his prisoners to
the Governor of Virginia. By his dar-
ing and skill he also won over the
French inhabitants of that region to
the American cause. Under his leader
ship what after became "Illinois coun-
ty," Virginia, or in other words the
dNorthwest Territory" embracing the
territory west of the Ohio river to the
lakes, was conquered in the name of
Virginia and the flag of the Republic
covered it at the close Of the Revolu
tionary war; for Virginia was in undis-
puted possession of it at the cessation
of hostilities. Aka
George Rogers Clarke has not been
inappropriately styled "the Father of
the Northwest, He was promoted to
the rank Of brigadier after serving under
BARON Steuben against Arnold In